Wilderness Lesson #3

I’ve only been to the store twice in 6 weeks. As I was driving by the Fred Meyer I often pass on my way to work, I realized that I haven’t been in the store since the Washington “Stay at Home” order went into effect. That’s highly unusual. Prior to COVID-19, I would stop at Fred Meyer at least once a week, just because it was convenient to run in and grab something I had forgotten on my last trip.

The wilderness can be very disruptive because it unveils what we take for granted (for better or for worse). These can be things as simple as stopping to pick up something at the grocery store to much deeper and more profound things like meaningful relationships or the frenetic activity that helps us hide from our brokenness or inadequacy. What have you been taking for granted, that may have been unmasked in this season of sequestering?

The positive side of this experience is that the wilderness provides us with a moment to recalibrate. Taking the accessibility of food and other items for granted, as small a thing it seems to be, has led to two places of recalibration for me (maybe you can resonate with these): 1. a failure to be deeply grateful for all the “regular” blessing that God has provided; and 2. a tendency to be less thoughtful about how I invest my time.

This isn’t a huge revelation (though there have been a few of those too), but it is a point of transformation. The author of Hebrews tells us to lay aside “every weight” in order to “run with endurance the race set before us.” That includes the small and seemingly unimportant weights (like taking simple things for granted) as well as the significant ones (like areas of sin, relational wounds, and regret).

I’m not interested in building a whole new set of resolutions for after the “Stay at Home” order is lifted - that might just be too overwhelming - but I also want to be careful that I don’t just resume the patterns that I had prior to the disruption. The wilderness gives us an opportunity to identify points we need to recalibrate our thoughts, our behaviors, our values. Let’s not squander the moment.

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

            Pastor Jeff

Wilderness Lesson #2

This past week I needed to pick up some staples (you know, important and consumable things like cat litter!). I was about to head off the store when I realized that I didn’t have my mask (yes, I’m being careful to use a mask and wear gloves when I go to the store), so I had to adjust my schedule to pick the items up another day. It got me to thinking about how accustom I’ve become to getting what I need (or want) pretty much whenever it suits me. Now, in trying to be wise and kind to others (by not contributing to the spread of COVID-19) the ease is gone, and I’ve chosen to go without some comforts. I was reminded of how many times I’ve heard people say, “when this is all over, I’d like to…”

Privation, or being deprived of something, is part of the wilderness experience. “Turn these stones into bread.” Satan said to Jesus. “Cucumbers and melons,” the Israelites said when thinking back to Egypt. When something we’ve become accustomed to is no longer, we experience being deprived. And there is a spiritual dimension to this experience. The process goes something like this: first we become aware of the absence; this leads us to desiring the thing that is absent (let’s call this longing); the longing can become incessant as we reflect on it (let’s call this craving); cravings are an object of focus and usually what we focus on become something we pursue (an objective).

What we might find (like Israel found before us) is that when deprived of something we enjoy, or come to depend on, it can reveal just how deeply we have treasured it. For Israel, the wilderness demonstrated how much they desired comfort (familiar food), how much they desired security (“did you bring us out here to die?”), and how much they desired their own way (“why do you exalt yourselves over us?”). Does that sound a bit familiar? Compare Jesus’ response (which he quotes from Moses), we “shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” When faced with privation, Jesus turns his attention to God. His statement is full of theological implications, but for our purposes he invites us to turn to God for our “fullness.” 

There is nothing wrong with missing something good and valuable. Perhaps the lesson for us in this “wilderness” season is to examine our hearts when we miss something and ask if it has become too valuable to us. All  these moments of longing can offer us an opportunity to turn our hearts toward our Heavenly Father, as Jesus did, to delight in Him more deeply. 

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

            Pastor Jeff